Slicings of Life
by Destati69
Summary: Random shorts focusing on Joker and the several confidants he forges bonds with in Persona 5.
1. Effort

**Word on the street is that the Protagonist's name in the manga is Akira Kurusu so let's roll with that.**

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 _EFFORT_

"Yo Joker! Why do you look so down?" Ryuji Sakamoto slapped his friend's back during lunch break.

"Not so loud you idiot. And don't call me that outside of the Metaverse." Akira responded quietly with an annoyed tone as he put his phone away.

"Come on man lighten up! We just cleared Kaneshiro's Palace after all. Isn't this the time for celebration? How about we invite Yusuke, Ann and Makoto to a buffe-"

"Sorry, you guys could go if you want but I'd rather not." Akira grabbed his bag which Morgana resided in and promptly left the classroom to buy food from the nearby vendor.

"…I wonder what's got him so depressed." Ryuji wondered aloud with concern. "Maybe I should ask the others…"

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"Hey." Morgana asked from within Akira's schoolbag. "Why did you give Ryuji such an attitude? I mean, I know that he and I bicker a lot but the two of you get along reasonably well."

"It's…it's nothing." Akira said quietly in response as he nibbled on some of the overly expensive bread that the school sold. He was near the rooftop since eating in the cafeteria or just around others caused various problems.

"It's not healthy to keep things in you know?" Morgana advised with a serious tone.

"I'm not keeping in anything worth telling anyone about."

"If you say so…" Morgana relented and went quiet in Akira's bag.

' _I should probably consult with the others about this.'_ Morgana thought to himself as he waited for time to pass.

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Later that day, Akira arrived back at Leblanc after giving some info to Ohya who kind of annoyed him.

"Oh you're back." Sojiro acknowledged as he looked up at Akira's face. "What's with that scowl? You're gonna scare off any incoming customers."

"Isn't it about time to close up shop? I doubt that anybody else is going to be coming in." Akira noted much to Sojiro's chagrin.

"Well… I guess you have a point."

Akira walked up to the attic and started responding to Hifumi through text. She's recently begun to break out of her shell of servitude towards her mother and has been asking Akira for assistance on more than one occasion. Akira didn't complain though. Not only did she offer valuable aid for expeditions in the Metaverse but she herself is someone that Akira felt legitimate sympathy for.

"Shouldn't you go to bed? You look pretty tired." Morgana advised.

"Soon. I still have to visit Chihaya and help Mishima snap out from his inferiority complex." Akira quickly answered, only fueling Morgana's worries.

"Have it your way." Morgana said with a sigh. "I'm going out for a walk, it won't be long."

"Sure. Don't get hurt."

Morgana then left Leblanc by somehow slipping through the door without Sojiro noticing and went towards the Shibuya Walkway.

When he arrived there, he saw Ryuji, Yusuke, Ann and Makoto waiting at the railing they always held their meetings at.

"Ah, there you are Morgana." Ann noted, alerting the other Phantom Thieves.

"You better have a good reason for calling us out here…" Ryuji yawned.

"Indeed." Yusuke agreed. "And why is it that Akira can't be with us?"

"I'm curious too." Makoto acknowledged. "It's rather fortunate that my sister is working overnight today since this sounds pretty serious."

"Well…Akira's been acting… weird lately." Morgana stated indecisively.

"Weird how? Be more specific." Yusuke asked.

"He's just been strangely obsessive. Every second of the day he's either texting someone to help them with their problems or talking to someone to help them with their problems."

"You know, now that you mention it…" Ryuji started. "I have noticed that he's been talking to someone on the phone almost every time I try to talk to him."

"Is there something going on with him?" Ann asked. "Like, is he keeping something from us?"

"I don't know. I've tried asking him but he just plays it off." Morgana replied tiredly.

"He's always been quiet…" Makoto said mostly to herself.

"Well, he's our Leader so if something's wrong with him then it's going to affect future operations." Ryuji said gravely.

The other four gazed at Ryuji in astonishment.

"Wow Ryuji, that's probably the smartest thing I've heard you say."Ann gasped in shock.

"What?!" Ryuji snapped loudly. "I'm not that much of a dumbass!"

"Quiet down." Makoto sighed. "Let me talk to Akira-kun tomorrow."

"You Niijima-san?" Yusuke voiced in surprise. "No offense but the two of you aren't exactly the best casual talkers. Besides, both of you tend to get awkwardly quiet around each other sometimes."

"Um…you're right but…" Makoto accepted.

"No I think she's perfect." Morgana retorted. "He was just ignoring me but if the student council president were to inquire then it would probably get his attention."

The others nodded in agreement.

"I'll invite him to the student council room for lunch I guess." Makoto said.

"Good luck Niijima-san!" Ann waved as she left along with the others.

"Honestly… they could stand to be a little more concerned." Makoto sighed.

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In class the next morning, Akira got a text from Makoto for the first time and it wasn't in the Phantom Thieves group chat.

"Niijima-san messaged me? That's new." Akira said to himself as he read the message.

"Akira-kun, I'll be waiting for you in the student council room during lunch break." Akira recited. "Huh. She's as blunt in text as she is in conversation."

"Welp, I guess I have that to look forward to." Akira told himself as he waited for Kawakami's class to end.

Morgana smiled to himself form with the desk.

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"Hey." Akira greeted as he entered the student council room.

"Oh Akira-kun, glad you could make it." Makoto set the book she was reading to the side and prompted Akira to take a seat across from her.

"So…" Akira took a seat. "what's up with the sudden invitation?"

"I just wanted to ask you something personally." Makoto took a deep breath.

"Okaaay." Akira said aloud as he tried to alleviate the awkward atmosphere.

"Is there something wrong? You seem rather tired as of late."

"I've just been doing a lot of stuff lately." Akira answered vaguely much to Makoto's frustration.

"What kinds of things?"

"Oh just a part time job at a bar, a part time job at a flower shop store, a part time job at Big Bang Burger, meeting with an informant that helps with the Phantom Thieves image, helping a fortune teller escape from a religious sca-"

"Wait wait wait." Makoto halted him. "Did you just say that you have THREE part time jobs? And what's this about a fortune teller?"

Akira then told Makoto of all of the help he's been giving his Confidant Links and the effort he's put into his several part time jobs.

"Why exactly are you doing this?" Makoto asked angrily.

"Well, someone has to cough up the money for new equipment and items each time we enter a new palace."

"Wait, YOU'RE the one that buys all of the equipment?!" Makoto asked in astonishment.

"Uh yeah, I thought you knew?" Akira said in surprise.

"No no I thought that Takamaki-san and the others were earning money for our heists as well but I guess not." Makoto sighed in disappointment. "I would help but I don't get much free time with the duties I have to contend with as the student council president."

"I'm not blaming you Senpai." Akira reassured. "I just have nothing better to do so I decided to make shit tons of cash."

"I-I understand but please don't push yourself so much. Morgana was really worried."

"Oh he was? I'll be sure to apologize to him later then. I think he's with Ryuji and the others now…"

"And don't worry Akira-kun." Makoto suddenly formed a terrifying smile. "I'll be **sure** to make the others pay their long abandoned dues."

Needless to say, Akira was glad to be on her good side.

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	2. Secrecy?

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"Hey Ryuji, I need your advice on something important." Akira asked.

In the middle of one of the Phantom Thieves' Meetings in Leblanc's attic, Akira suddenly blurted this out, causing severe alarm in the immediate vicinity.

"Wait wait wait, did you just say you want RYUJI'S ADIVCE?!" Ann blurted out in shock as she stood up and gave Akira a glare of disbelief.

"WHAAAAT?!" Futaba yelled out as she grabbed her head with both hands, trying to figure out if this was a nightmare of her own concoction.

"This is… unnerving." Yusuke muttered in his usual composed tone.

"Hey, are you feeling okay?" Morgana asked Akira who had a stern gaze on his usual composed face.

Makoto didn't say anything but she gave Akira a clear look of concern.

Haru sighed despondently since she was hoping for Akira to ask her for advice considering all that he's done for her.

Even Ryuji looked a little taken aback as he slightly staggered back from his seat.

"Aren't you guys overreacting just a little?" Akira asked the group.

" Overreacting?!" Ann slammed her fist on the table. "Why would you ask this dumbass for advice on something important?!"

"Hey, give some me some credit here! I'm not a dumbass... right?" Ryuji asked for clarification.

"You are." Everyone minus Akira responded in unison.

"Anyway, let's go somewhere private Ryuji. The matter I have to ask you about is rather… grim." Akira requested.

Ryuji gave a confused gaze while everyone else looked legitimately concerned for Akira's wellbeing. However, Ryuji complied and followed Akira down the stairs.

"Um… isn't someone going to eavesdrop on them?" Ann asked the remainder of the group.

"Sorry I can't. I have a meeting with the National Art Association soon so I have to go." Yusuke informed the others as he quickly gathered his belongings and left.

"And Sojiro is taking me to the vet soon." Morgana said tiredly.

"Huh, Sojiro really prefers you over Akira-kun huh?" Futaba smiled.

"So… does anyone have any ideas?" Ann asked once more.

"Shouldn't we give them our privacy? It isn't right to eavesdrop on others." Makoto said determinedly causing the others in the room to shiver.

"B-but, if it's so grim, why wouldn't he ask all of us?" Haru retorted.

"I don't know, maybe it's a guy thing." Makoto suggested.

"Well I for one believe that there is no harm in listening to the problems of one of the teammates! Isn't that right guys?!" Futaba blurted out loudly.

"…Do what you want." Makoto relented and sighed.

"Do you have a plan Futaba-chan?" Ann asked. Her one track mind was fully invested in this hopeful resolution.

"Hehehe." Futaba laughed and pulled out her laptop. "There's no need to fear because I hacked his phone's GPS signals!"

"But that's a crime!" Makoto interjected.

"When has that stopped me?"

Makoto rolled her eyes.

"Oh they're not far. From what I see here, they're at the diner on Central Street." Futaba told the others.

"Have fun with that guys." Morgana said somewhat callously as he ran down the attic's stairs.

Ann, Haru and Futaba were already getting ready to go.

"Are you not coming with us Mako-chan?" Haru asked with a frown.

"….Fine."

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When the girls reached the diner, they saw Ryuji and Akira at the other end of the diner in one of the corner tables.

"That's fortunate; they're not going to see us from this angle." Ann mentioned.

The girls came in with some rather sloppy disguises. All they did was put on shades and hats. They took the table right behind Akira and Ryuji.

The waitress gave them an odd look but she disregarded her nerves and took their orders. Instead of giving away their voices, the girls merely pointed to the orders they wanted on the menu and the waitress wrote them down.

As soon as the waitress left, they remained dead quiet. Akira and Ryuji seemed to be having an intense conversation.

"Akira, you're the one who called me out here so can you tell me what's going on already?!" Ryuji exclaimed noisily, attracting some attention from the other denizens of the diner.

"Sorry, let's just pretend this never happened." Akira shook his head and a look of shame crossed his face.

"Come on man… you're killing me here!" Ryuji begged.

"….Okay okay I'll tell you what's going on." Akira said in a hushed tone.

The girls tried their best to not give themselves away as they leaned towards the wall that held the two males behind it.

"So ever since I came here for my probation, I've had some trouble appeasing my… sexual desires." Akira muttered

"Oh boy." Ryuji's gaze of annoyance transformed into one of pity. "I was actually expecting something like this."

The girls all had varying reactions but they all resulted from astonishment and embarrassment. However, they somehow managed to prevent their vocal reactions and listen intently.

"Look, I just don't know how I'm supposed to beat my meat when I'm never alone. Morgana is constantly with me and I can't do it during shop hours because of Sojiro and the customers." Akira ranted.

"Have you tried doing it in the bathroom or the shower?" Ryuji suggested.

"I would but Morgana slips into the bathroom to talk to me sometimes so I'd rather not."

"Hmm, can't you call Kawakami-sensei and ask her for-"

"What?! Are you crazy?! I can't ask my teacher for this!" Akira interrupted furiously.

"I guess you're right but she's your maid isn't she? And don't you two have something going on? She should be willing to help you out." Ryuji explained.

"…You know Ryuji, that's actually not that bad of an idea. Morgana gives me privacy when I hang out with people and I would be in the comfort of my room! It's ingenious!" Akira thanked Ryuji wholeheartedly and began to happily devour his meal.

"No worries man, I'm always here to help." Ryuji smiled and ate as well.

The girls were frozen in shock.

When the waitress came with their orders, none of them responded so their drinks were placed without their noticing.

' _I- I never realized that Akira was keeping something like this from me! Aren't we dating?!'_ Ann thought with disbelief.

' _To think that Akira-kun was hiding something like this from me, I feel disappointed yet relieved. We never got physical in our relationship yet so maybe this is the time.'_ Makoto thought surprisingly calmly.

' _This is the least I can do for Akira-kun…my boyfriend…'_ Haru thought with resolve.

' _Hehehe, to think that Akira was keeping something so vital from his girlfriend. How irresponsible!'_ Futaba thought with her ditzy frame of mind.

Somehow, the girls didn't hear the part about Kawakami 'helping him out'. That was most likely due to the shock of Akira's initial outburst.

However, one thing was clear though.

Akira was screwed. Literally.

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	3. Inspiration

**Thank you all for the incredible amount of feedback, follows and favorites. It really means a lot thank you.**

 **Also, keep in mind that all of these shorts are not directly connected unless I explicitly state it at the beginning of the chapter. For example, I plan to write a sequel chapter for chapter 2 since it was received so well and it was extremely fun to write. This short on the other hand was fun to write for a different reason. Enjoy!**

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"You know Akira…" Yusuke started as he put the coffee he was offered down on one of Leblanc's tables. "I was wondering why you called me out here so late after Sojiro was gone. You do know that it's past my dorm's curfew right?"

"Sorry Yusuke." Akira apologized uncharacteristically sheepishly. "I just needed to ask you something face to face. Sure, the timing is a bit weird but I really have to know… for Ryuji's sake."

"Sakamoto?" Yusuke repeated in confusion. "Is it something that concerns him?"

"Kind of." Akira answered vaguely. Morgana was nearby as well, carefully watching the conversation unfold.

"I'm sure you remember the hot springs trip we had last week right?" Akira asked, prompting Yusuke to engage in recollection.

"Ah yes. Why? I don't think that anything of importance prompting this current nightly call occurred that day." Yusuke said quickly.

"As I feared…" Akira muttered in an almost annoyed tone as Morgana sighed.

"Yusuke, do you not remember the fiasco of when you eagerly tried to draw Ryuji's…. male organ during that trip?" Akira said for a lack of a better term.

"Oh you mean his pe-?" Yusuke asked for clarification before Akira quickly silenced him.

"Stop Yusuke! Stop! Please don't say that word!" Akira begged. "Just the word is enough to trigger flashbacks…"

"Flashbacks?" Yusuke asked again.

"So you don't remember that part? Huh, how convenient." Morgana said sardonically.

"Let me tell you then." Akira declared before Yusuke would end up too lost in the seemingly random interrogation. "One week ago, you tried to draw Ryuji's… thing while we were in the hot springs. I have no idea why you would do that. Not only were we in public but that raised so many more questions. Ryuji made a fuss but you kept begging him for permission to draw it. Unfortunately, Ann and Makoto were on the other side and they broke through the wall and kicked our asses. It was… demoralizing to say the least." Akira summarized as he slightly shuddered.

"Ah Akira… to think that you wouldn't understand…" Yusuke epically stood up. "Don't you recall how I was talking about how I needed inspiration for my artistic slump?! I tried to focus on love but no matter what I drew, the end result was less than satisfactory. Even after asking you numerous times, visiting numerous locales and being in the presence of the art gallery, I still lacked the proper motivation and mental fortitude to conjure a piece of my desire!"

"And your point is…?" Akira stated quizzically.

"That trip was answer! I was so engulfed by the void in my heart and the despair I felt over my works being judged that I forgot to take note of one of the most obvious artistic inspirations; the human body." Yusuke elaborated.

"Oh I think I get it." Akira admitted.

"You do?" Morgana asked.

"Yeah he- oh wait it looks like he's not done yet." Akira stopped himself before Yusuke continued on with his little initial tirade.

"I remembered when Ann-san was my model. I was so enamored by the beauty of her body that it gave me the passion to go on! However, I was burdened by the emotional weight of Mast- Madarame's sins. But with that incident behind, my mind is free to explore once again! And what is wrong with depicting the male body?! In fact, show me yours Akira! It could spur me on to further creativity!" Yusuke exclaimed too passionately as he ran towards Akira.

"Wait what?! No no no! Hold the fu-"

Akira was interrupted as the door to Leblanc opened and Sojiro walked in.

He looked at the scene in front of him and came up with a rather unsavory conclusion.

"Ah… I didn't expect this." Sojiro's eyes widened.

"Wa-"

"No no. I understand." Sojiro interrupted Akira's panicked voice and insisted on continuing with his conclusion.

"To think you swung that way. Well, at least my coffee's charms have been put to good use." Sojiro said in a mildly surprised tone as he walked towards the drawers to obtain some cooking tools.

"Anyway, I'm cooking something special for someone tonight and I need these at home but don't mind my interruption! Please continue!" Sojiro walked towards the door.

"But can you at least not have the cat so close to your little escapade? It's kind of disgusting."

The door closed and everybody was silent for a solid 5 minutes but Akira tried his best to ignore the recent interruption and he referred to Yusuke's previous vocal flood.

"So to put it in simpler terms, Ryuji ended up being the victim of your aspirations to increase your artistic eloquence. I feel kind of bad for the guy…" Akira lamented.

"You feel pity?! Shouldn't it be jealousy?!" Yusuke slammed his fist onto the table.

"No!" Akira finally put his foot down. "You're in the wrong here Yusuke! Don't you see that?! You tried to force your friend to pose nude for you! Outside where any other guy could've walked in! You ruined his male pride and not only that but because of you, the female half of our party thinks we're all gay! My guardian now too!"

Yusuke took a moment to let this all sink in. Was he…was he really in the wrong? All he wanted to do was pursue his passion for the arts but did he go too far? Did he not think of the interests of those who were aligned with him?

"….You're right Akira. You're right. I don't know why I was so blind. I didn't realize how much I could be blinded by such an outburst of unrelenting fervor. I must apologize." Yusuke bowed. "In the future I'll try to think more rationally."

"I appreciate the apology Yusuke but I'm not the only one who warrants this." Akira scolded. "Ryuji's really the main one that was screwed over by this."

"Yes yes of course. I'll do that first thing at our meeting tomorrow." Yusuke agreed as Akira went upstairs to the attic to get the keys for locking up.

"Good night and good luck Yusuke." Morgana bade farewell while a sinister thought lurked in the back of his mind.

' _At least that's less competition for Lady Ann.'_

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The next day came and the school hours were scathing.

While Akira was fine with the girls and reasserted his sexuality with them, Ryuji wasn't so lucky. He was given laughable gazes from Ann and looks of disgust and contempt from Makoto who was still annoyed by the male organ talk from last week.

"God damn it Yusuke." Ryuji groaned to himself during lunch break as he disdained his luck in the classroom he chose to stay in.

Akira was eating lunch with Makoto in the student council room. Those two were getting a bit too friendly to just be 'friends'…

"Why does Akira get all the girls? And why am I still being given such shitty looks?!" Ryuji complained to himself, earning some confused stares from the few kids in the classroom along with him.

Just before Ryuji was about to call Yusuke and give him a piece of his mind, he received a text.

"Oh it's from the big bad himself." Ryuji read the text that came from Yusuke.

"Come to the hideout earlier than usual. I want to apologize face to face. Huh, that's rather… convenient. Sure Yusuke I'll accept your offer."

Ryuji replied and eagerly waited for the meeting to occur.

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Shortly after the school day ended, Ryuji arrived at their hideout that was a little too open to the public but they didn't really have any alternatives at the moment.

Yusuke was already there, leaning against the railing.

"Yo." Ryuji called out and Yusuke turned around.

"Ah there you are Sakamoto. I appreciate you coming here earlier than usual. Today I wanted to apologize for the heinous actions I committed last week. I wasn't in the right frame of mind and I take full responsibility for what I've done. My lack of artistic results possessed the ill will of my mind and I tried to take advantage of you for that." Yusuke apologized profusely.

"Hey hey man, no need to beat yourself so much over it. I mean yeah it was pretty freaking weird but if you really mean your apology than that's cool." Ryuji said graciously.

"Thank you Sakamoto. You are truly a much better person than I originally expected."

"Hey what's that supposed to mean?!"

As the two reaffirmed friends began a pleasant argument, Akira, Morgana, Makoto and Ann arrived at the scene.

"Oh, you were right Morgana! The two of them were having a secret lovers rendezvous!" Ann exclaimed in excitement and shock.

"I don't think that's what's going on…" Makoto quietly objected.

Her protest was ignored however as Ryuji got infuriated at Ann.

"What?! Didn't I tell you hundreds of times that I'm perfectly straight?!" Ryuji spat out aggravated.

"But you can't deny this early meet up! It's too coincidental!" Ann argued back.

Makoto sighed in resignation, Yusuke chuckled and Morgana's eyes were those of a victor.

Akira gazed up at the Tokyo skyline and smiled.

"All's well that ends well I guess."

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For some odd reason, Futaba was having a hard time holding back her laughter in the Sojiro residence.

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	4. Backfired

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The school day was over and Akira and Ryuji were hanging out at the ramen place they tended to frequent.

As Akira was eating his ramen, Ryuji brought up something that he was sure the rest of the team pondered on.

"I wonder what the rest of the team thinks of our outfits in the Metaverse." Ryuji wondered aloud.

"Hmm, me too. I feel kind of self-conscious about it though I think mine looks pretty cool." Akira admitted.

"Huh, I feel like that too. Mine is pretty rad though so I'm not worried." Ryuji agreed as he set his finished bowl of ramen on the table.

"I don't know…" Akira said skeptically. "I overheard Ann and Makoto talking about how your mask makes you look like a thug."

"What?!" Ryuji yelled out louder than he meant to, causing the other occupants of the restaurant to glance over in annoyance and confusion.

"S-sorry." Ryuji apologized and sat back down. "But I don't look a thug!"

"As much as it pains me to admit it, I kind of agree with them." Akira sighed.

"You do?!"

The server gave Ryuji a foul stare, prompting Akira to suggest they leave the establishment.

When they left, Akira questioned Ryuji's overly aggressive mood.

"Why are you that upset over this? Does it really matter that much to you?"

"Of course it does! Our Metaverse outfits are a part of our identities man! If we look like trash in it, then our masculinity is gonna be trash too!" Ryuji spat out with contempt.

"I don't think those two things have anything to do fighting Shadows…" Akira responded though Ryuji wasn't listening.

"That's it! I'm gonna give those girls a piece of our minds!" Ryuji stormed off but a part of he said caused Akira great worry.

"Wait, what do you mean by 'OUR minds'?

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"Excuse me?!" Ann slammed her fist on one of the tables in Leblanc.

"You heard me! I called you a slut!" Ryuji replied while Akira just face palmed from behind him.

"I'm surprised you even know what that means…" Morgana said quietly though no one heard him.

Makoto and Haru were there as well. They had appropriate reactions.

"Ryuji-kun! Watch your mouth!" Makoto scolded.

"T-that isn't very nice." Haru said softly. The rage emitted by those around her was difficult to bear.

"C-calm down Ryuji." Akira tried to resolve the pointless dispute.

"Come on, you were thinking the same thing weren't you Akira?"

"What?!" Suddenly, Ann was eyeing Akira with a vile glare. "I didn't say shit, what are you talking about Ryuji?!"

"Is this true Akira-kun?" Ann asked quietly yet fiercely.

"N-no…" Akira backed off, the tenseness of the atmosphere causing him to feel trepidation.

"I knew it! It is true! You're stuttering!"

"Huh?! What kind of basis is th-"

Akira's complaints were cut off as Ann ran towards him, causing him to run out of the café.

Sojiro would usually complain about a ruckus like that but he was so amused that he just watched it happen and lightly chuckled.

"Was that your plan Ryuji? Would you say that it went off without a hitch?" Morgana asked amused.

"Yeah, he's dealing with the fallout just like I planned." Ryuji snickered.

Makoto and Haru gave the two confused stares.

"What are you two talking about?" Makoto asked in mystification.

"Oh just think of it as payback." Ryuji smiled. "You see, I feel like Akira has been getting too close with the girls in our party lately. I think it's time for his just deserts."

"W-what?! That's ridiculous! Me and Akira-kun aren't-"

"Heh."

Makoto's retort was cut short by a quiet yet disturbing chuckle coming from the female occupant sitting next to her.

"H-Haru?!" Makoto asked wearily.

"W-what?!" Haru replied a bit too loudly.

Ryuji and Morgana looked a bit frightened too.

"Why did you just laugh?" Makoto asked.

"I-I didn't laugh! W-what are you talking about?! Hahaha…ha." Haru denied terribly.

The other Phantom Thieves in the cafe suddenly felt scared for their lives.

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"Akira-kun, get back here!" Ann shouted amidst the bustling crowd of shoppers in the underground area of Shibuya.

Akira didn't respond and continued to run for his life.

Ann was having enough of it though so she took out a pen from her pocket and threw it at the back of Akira's head.

"Ow!" Akira instinctively reached for the back of his head, unfortunately giving Ann the time she needed to reach him.

The few officers around didn't pay much mind.

"Man I envy those kids." One of them sighed.

"I know what you mean. We can't get into exciting scuffles like that with our lovers anymore." The other officer reluctantly agreed.

"L-listen Ann-"

"I trusted you Akira-kun. I can't believe that you'd say something like that behind my back." Ann pouted.

"Do you seriously believe the bullshit that Ryuji spouted out back there?!" Akira retorted.

"You looked super nervous; I could tell that you were hiding something!"

"Now that's just-"

"I know that I may come off as a bit unapproachable because of how the public looks at me but I'm not like that I promise! Don't think I'm ugly because you think I slept with a bunch of guys!" Ann swore.

"I-I didn't even think that!" Akira insisted.

"Really? Then tell me Akira-kun…" Ann's voice got softer. "What do you think of me?"

Akira was put on the spot. The people around them heard the outbursts and were watching the scene unfold. The police officers got some takoyaki and watched the scene in excitement. It brought back memories of their younger days.

"I think that you're uh…" Akira hesitated.

' _Why the hell is there such a huge crowd of people watching us?!'_ Akira thought anxiously.

"I knew it! You don't think I'm attractive do you? I like you Akira-kun and I thought you felt the same but I guess I was wro-"

"I do!" Akira declared.

The underground mall was silent.

' _S-shit…! Did I just say that aloud?!'_

"Y-yes!" Ann blushed and hugged Akira who was still flustered by the recent events.

"W-what?" Akira asked whilst in a daze.

"I knew that Ryuji was lying about you thinking that, it was so obvious but I just had to find out if you liked me or not…" Ann admitted bashfully.

The crowd around them cheered them on and yelled out their congratulations.

Akira smiled. He would have to thank Ryuji for this later.

Back at Leblanc, Ryuji and Morgana felt as if their mission had failed.

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 **I have a Mother's Day special planned but it's going to most likely come out after tomorrow.**


	5. Strength

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"Hey do you any of you think that Haru's… kind of scary?" Ann asked the other members who were relaxing in Café Leblanc.

"Scary? How so? She's a pretty sweet girl." Akira said stoically.

"Well yeah, but there's just something off about her." Ann insisted.

"What prompted this train of thought Takamaki-san?" Yusuke asked.

"Yesterday, I caught her laughing really creepily on the rooftop."

Makoto's eyebrows rose.

"Huh. Now that you mention it… I could've sworn that I saw her grinning evilly when we were in Mementos yesterday." Makoto mentioned.

"That's fricking weird." Ryuji noted. "But then again, she does give off that innocent maiden type of vibe. It wouldn't surprise me if she was hiding something underneath all that."

"I think you guys are just overreacting." Futaba scorned as the rest of the team glanced at her. "I mean, we all have our own quirks so what if that's just hers?"

"Hmm, that's probably it." Akira agreed.

After that, the team had an awkward silence before Makoto realized how late it was and advised everyone to go home.

"See ya Akira." Ryuji said as he and the rest of the team departed.

As they left, Akira's concern for Haru increased ever so slightly.

' _I really wonder how she's doing. I know that she just has a cold but the fact that she hasn't spoken to any of us in the last week is somewhat worrying.'_ Akira thought as he locked up and headed upstairs with Morgana following behind him.

"Why don't you try giving Haru a call? She might answer if it's you that's calling." Morgana proposed.

Akira wasn't sure why she'd answer if he specifically called but he decided not to ask.

After a couple of rings, the person on the other line answered.

"H-hello?" Haru answered weakly.

"Haru! You finally picked up!" Akira breathed in relief. "The rest of us have been worried sick for the past week. How are you?"

After a brief moment of silence, Haru answered.

"I-I'm feeling better." Haru said vaguely.

"That's good. You think you can meet up with us tomorrow?"

"…Maybe. I'll tell you if I feel well enough to go outside tomorrow."

"Alright. Good night." Akira hung up and told Morgana about Haru.

"Oh that's good. But jeez, I feel really bad for her." Morgana frowned as much as he could in his cat form. "Between her crappy fiancé and her father's death, it seems like she can't ever catch a break."

"Yeah I know." Akira sighed. "But she's a strong girl. I don't see her falling victim to this."

"Yeah…yeah you're right." Morgana agreed. "Anyway, it's pretty late. Time for bed."

Secretly, Akira wanted to defy Morgana's orders and go exploring for the night but he knew that if he did that, Morgana would probably attack him relentlessly.

And so the night passed.

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When Akira woke up the next morning, he got an odd text from Haru on that rainy Sunday morning.

' _Akira-kun, can you please quickly come alone to Shinjuku! It's an emergency! And no Morgana either, he'd be in danger!'_

Having just woken up, Morgana was startled to see Akira with eyes full of worry and conviction.

"H-hey, what's wro-"

Morgana was interrupted as Akira quickly put on a shirt and pants and ran downstairs.

"Hey! What's wrong with you so early in the morning?!" Sojiro complained as Akira ran out of Leblanc, towards the train station.

"Wait! You dropped your phone!" Sojiro yelled but it was to no avail however. Akira was already long gone.

Morgana finally got downstairs and after seeing Akira's phone on the ground, he had an idea.

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Thankfully the train ride to Shinjuku was unexpectedly quick this morning.

As Akira arrived, he dug his hands in his pockets for his phone before realizing that he must've forgotten it at Leblanc.

"Shit!" Akira cursed to himself. "How am I supposed to figure out where she is now?!"

Akira walked around Shinjuku and saw a familiar face.

"Hey Chihaya!" Akira slammed a fist on the fortune teller's table.

"Ah! Y-yes?! What's wrong Akira-kun?!" Chihaya asked in alarm.

"You know Haru Okumura right?"

"The daughter to the recently passed CEO of Okumura Industries? Yes, I just saw her around here actually…" Chihaya said.

"R-really? Where?"

"I think it was around…there." Chihaya pointed to one of the sketchy looking hotels in the red-light district.

"What?!"

"It looked like she was on her own though so I have no idea why she'd go there."

Without any word of thanks, Akira ran towards the hotel and walked inside, already being greeted by an unfamiliar face.

"Kurusu-kun yes?" The calm looking female said. She wore a maid uniform and had an elegant smile on her face.

"Um… who are you?" Akira asked.

"I'm one of the young mistress's maids. She requested me to direct you to her room once you arrived in the Shinjuku district and called her."

"Oh…okay. But isn't this a love ho-"

"Oh no need to worry about that. She bought it for the day." The maid answered with that same emotionless yet elegant smile.

"…Of course she did. Anyway, what room is she in?"

"Room 306."

"Thank you."

With that, Akira walked up the stairs and reached the third floor.

"Huh. This place is quite…kinky." Akira said to himself as he looked around the hallway.

There were several sex toys littered about. It was almost like the staff didn't give a shit about maintaining their establishment.

Eventually though, Akira reached room 306 and opened the unlocked door.

"Haru. Mind telling me what's going on here?" Akira asked abruptly.

In the room stood Haru who looked completely unharmed.

"A-Akira-kun, when did you get here?!" Haru asked in a panicked voice.

"Just now. I forgot my phone but I managed to find my way here." Akira answered, inwardly thanking Chihaya.

"O-oh… I see…" Haru said nervously.

"But what's going on here Haru. Why did you lie to me in that text? Hell, you don't even look sick!" Akira exclaimed.

"I wasn't lying…" Haru said quietly.

"…What?"

"I said I wasn't lying!" Haru shouted as she ran up to Joker and pushed him to the ground.

Before Akira had any chance to talk back, Haru kissed him and slipped a pill in his mouth.

"H-huh…? *cough cough cough*" Akira tried to spit it out but he inadvertently swallowed it.

"I'm tired Akira-kun…I tried so hard but nothing ever works in my favor…" Haru said quietly.

"I always wanted to live a normal life but my dad never understood me. I loved him. I really did but… he never cared about my happiness. I just wanted to live a normal school girl's life but I knew that was impossible."

Akira wasn't able to move his limbs and he assumed that it was from whatever Haru made him swallow.

"But when I got to know you Akira…I felt something I never felt before. It was that feeling that I was supposed to feel for my fiancé. It was…love."

Akira's eyes widened.

"Why didn't you tell me?" Akira asked while trying to fight against the paralysis he was currently experiencing.

"I couldn't just say it." Haru spat out with a little venom in her voice. "Not only did all of you not fully trust me for a while but I was also the last member to join. Me confessing would just… be an inconvenience." Haru said somberly as she bent down to Akira's still body.

"That's not true!" Akira objected. "None of us including me would take your feelings for granted Haru! We're all friends, teammates fighting for a common cause! So don't just jot off your feelings as an inconvenience!"

"…Thank you. I know that you're all great people." Haru said. "But I still want an answer Akira-kun. I'm tired of seeing you hide behind words!"

"What do you mean hide behind words? I mean what I said!"

"Enough Akira! I want an answer now!" Haru moved her face closer to Akira's. "I'm tired of standing by and hoping for things to go my way!"

"…..I…..I think?" Akira said with weak confidence.

"H-huh?"

"I-I'm not sure! We've only known each other for a few months Haru. Just give me a little time to sort out my feelings."

"…I see. That's understandable." Haru accepted.

"I'm sorry but it's hard to think about stuff like this with us being Phantom Thieves and all." Akira said apologetically.

"No no, I underst-"

"Key Item!" Futaba's voice screeched from behind the closed door right before it was kicked down.

"Morgana showed me your phone and I bought everyone here so-AH!" Futaba backed up and closed the door.

"Hey hey what gives?" Ryuji complained. "He's in there isn't he?"

"Come on Futaba open the door!" They're in there aren't they?" Ann requested.

"This doesn't seem right…" Yusuke said without anyone else hearing.

"I think I might have an idea of what's going on here." Makoto sighed.

After hearing their friend's usual antics, Akira and Haru couldn't help but laugh.

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	6. PEEWEEAKIRA

**AUTHOR'S NOTES:**

 **So…um yeah… THIS chapter…god damn it. So you see, this chapter right here is like that unknown, rediscovered piece of gum you left under your desk in middle school. Wait, I should probably explain a bit more.**

 **Here's the story. I was planning on coming back to this story a couple of days ago so I started writing up a chapter. However, I saw this…thing in my documents and I was like 'Huh, what's this chapter?' It was called and I kid you not, 'PEEWEEAKIRA'. I don't recall ever writing this chapter but it was on my computer somehow, someway. What's also confusing is that this chapter's document was last saved on March 14** **th** **. A month before this story even began. So I don't know what the hell this chapter is, its sheer existence is an enigma to me. Either way though, I didn't edit this chapter whatsoever cuz why the hell not? I just read it over and it's slightly disturbing.**

 **Anyway, if you manage to read this chapter to the end, cookies to you.**

 **Also, for clarification if you don't know what S and M refer to. They refer to sadism and masochism. That should give you an idea of what you're getting into here.**

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"Hey Key Item, come here for a second!" Futaba called out to Akira who was doing some crafting for palace thievery with Morgana's aid.

"What's up?" Akira walked over to Futaba. She was staring intently at the laptop screen in front of her, her legs on Akira's bed as stiff as bricks. "Y-you seem worried. Is everything alright?"

"Indeed. Does it concern the Phan site that Mishima hosts?" Morgana questioned as he too approached Oracle.

"No not that." Futaba denied. "It's something far more sinister…"

Akira's expression hardened and he furrowed his eyebrows in worry.

"What is it?! Did somebody else die that the public is blaming us for?" Akira asked as he clenched his fists.

"…It's your internet history Joker!" Futaba announced causing Akira to stumble back and Morgana tilt his head in confusion.

"Joker's internet history? What's wrong with that? Whenever he's online, he's usually just buying stuff from Tanaka's Shady Commodities." Morgana pointed out. "Is he hiding something from us?"

Akira glared at Morgana for suggesting that but Futaba's malevolent grin took precedence.

"Well…I guess you could say that." Futaba answered cryptically, prompting Morgana to inquire further before Akira intervened.

"Wait wait!" Akira exclaimed. Futaba glanced at him with a knowing smirk on her face while Morgana just looked annoyed. "F-Futaba, there's no reason to blurt this out in front of Morgana!"

"What are you talking about?" Morgana scolded. "With you being team leader, you don't have the freedom of hiding important information from us!"

"It's not important information!" Akira retorted.

"Really?" Morgana said sardonically. "You're acting awfully suspicious Joker."

"…" Akira sighed and gave a pleading look to Futaba who out of pity, decided to help him out.

"He's right kitty, there's no important info pertaining to the Phantom Thieves here. It's actually rather private so would you mind leaving us alone for while?" Futaba added.

"…Fine." Morgana reluctantly accepted as he glared at Joker one last time before leaving.

"W-what are you doing Futaba?!" Akira exploded in shame as he sunk to his couch.

"Hey, no reason to get so upset. It's not like I told him WHAT was in your internet history." Futaba defended herself. "I'm also surprised that he didn't find you looking this stuff up on your phone."

"Still…" Akira sighed and shook his head before continuing. "This is wrong you know? You can't just spy on other people's internet history. That's an invasion of privacy!"

"Well it's not my fault that all of you guys don't pay enough attention to your phones!" Futaba objected before she covered her mouth.

"Wait. What do you mean by 'all of you guys'?" Akira asked though he was sure he figured it out.

"I planted a tracking bug on all of your guys' phones! There now happy?!" Futaba shouted.

"…Are you kidding me Futaba?" Akira shook his head in disappointment.

"I was pretty surprised with what I found honestly." Futaba reverted back to her normal hyperactive self. "Inari's and Haru's history are about what I expected though. Inari just looks up obscure art pieces for what I guess is inspiration and Haru-san is actually a closet porn addict. Pretty much what I expected from the two of them."

"Wait what?!"

"Ryuji either looks up porn or music. But not rock, classical. That threw me for a loop. Ann-san on the other hand is an avid punk rock fan with some…rather kinky fetishes if I do say so myself. " Futaba revealed without a shred of remorse.

"Futaba! Have some decency!" Akira attempted to scold the Phantom Thief for her intrusions of her friends' privacy. "Do you have no shame? These are our friends we're talking about! You can't just sneak in on their private life!"

"I wasn't trying to. It just sorta happened." Futaba quickly retorted. "And besides, it's not like I'm going to leak this info or anything. Unless…you want me to?"

"No! Of course not!" Akira immediately rejected.

' _W-wait. She said that she has everyone's internet history so does that mean she has Makoto's too? We've been dating for a while now and it's been going pretty well but…something's telling me to sneak a peek at her internet history. It's wrong but hey can you blame me?! I-I can learn more about Makoto this way! Yeah that's it!'_ Akira thought intricately before Futaba was about to comply with his advice.

"Well, I guess you have a point. This is pretty invasive. I'll delete everything now." Futaba declared before Akira grabbed her hand and stopped her.

"Wait! C-can you tell me Makoto's history?" Akira requested.

Futaba gave him a sly grin.

"Are you sure Joker? Once you learn, there's no turning back." Futaba warned.

After a moment of contemplation, Akira's gave in to his sinful desires and nodded.

Futaba giggled and after a couple of clicks, turned the laptop over to show Akira the screen.

"This is…! No way!" Akira covered his mouth to stop himself from shouting in alarm as Futaba smiled deviously.

"I told you didn't I? There's no turning back."

"B-but this IS Makoto we're talking about here right? There's no way she would look up porn…like this!" Akira objected to Futaba's findings.

"Hey, don't accuse my findings of being false! I can assure you that they're 100% geuine!"

"I knew that Makoto was a bit more…aggressive than most girls but I had no idea that she was actually an S!" Akira voiced out in unbridled shock.

Futaba placed her hand on his shoulder and patted it as if she were comforting him.

"As much as I would like to sympathize with you, I don't think I can. After all, I think it's been shown that all of us girls in the Phantom Thieves roll that way too."

Akira decided to ignore that comment and focus on Makoto specifically instead.

"What do I do? I'm not an M! I have to change her preferences!" Akira panicked.

"Aren't you overreacting? It's not that big of a deal and hey, maybe you might end up becoming an M! That way, both of you will be satisfied. It's a win-win situation right?" Futaba advised.

"I-I guess you have a point." Akira admitted. "But I'm not going down without a fight! I have to alter her cognition!"

Akira stormed down the stairs, leaving Futaba in the attic.

"Huh. Hopefully she'll never see it coming." Futaba to no one as she put on a random pair of shades that was on Akira's bed.

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Akira texted Makoto, telling her to meet him at the diner on Central Street where he only ever bought tea and coffee which irritated the staff to no end.

' _This is my chance! There's no need to hold back Akira! Just confront her about it!'_ Akira inwardly pepped himself up as he saw Makoto walking towards him.

"Ah hello Akira-kun, what's so important that we had to meet up so urgently?" Makoto inquired.

"Ah..well…you see…" Akira stuttered. He initially wanted to invite Makoto into the diner first but his nerves were preventing him from doing so.

"Yes?" Makoto asked, concerned. "Is something wrong Akira-kun? You don't look so good…"

"I-I'm fine!" Akira yelled, imitating a certain fictional lawyer clad in red.

Instead of pressuring him on what was wrong, Makoto did something completely unexpected. She grabbed him and pulled him over to one of the deserted back alleys.

"M-Makoto, what are you-"Akira was cut off as Makoto silenced him with her lips. Akira's eyes widened in further shock as Makoto moved her hands to a place that she shouldn't really touch in broad daylight.

"Woah woah, what are you doing?!" Akira protested, backing away from nicknamed Queen.

"I just can't help it. You're just so cute when you're flustered Akira." Makoto shyly admitted causing Akira to blush in humiliation.

"L-listen, that wasn't like you Makoto. If you do that again, I-ll-" Akira warned before he was interrupted again but this time by Ann.

"A-Akira?! Why are you with…her?" Ann's tone shifted from confusion to fury.

"What?" Akira said, not understanding the present situation at all.

"I see…I thought that we were an item but it seems as if you were cheating on me behind my back…" Ann muttered quietly.

' _Oh shit! I just remembered that I maxed out her confidant link!"_ Akira realized a little too late.

"Well I'm sorry Ann-san but I'M the one he chose so can you please leave?" Makoto requested harshly.

' _Seriously, what's up with Makoto? She never acts like this.'_

"I see…so that's what is huh?" Ann muttered before facing Akira with an expression of pure determination. "I'm not enough of an S is that?!"

Suddenly, Makoto grabbed Akira's arms and ran away with him in tow.

"I'll change for you Akira!" Ann yelled in the distance.

' _What…what the hell is going on…'_ Akira thought before his shut his eyes.

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When Akira opened his eyes, he found himself in his bed, awakening at the crack of dawn.

"Oh, so that was all a dream!" Akira exclaimed as he accidentally awoke Morgana.

"What's with you? Can you keep it down?" Morgana said irritably as Akira laid back down with a giddy smile on his face.

' _Oh thank god, if that actually happened then…I don't know what I'd do with myself.'_

Little did Akira know that in reality, Futaba did manage to see his internet history and his unfortunate nightmare was about to become real.

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	7. Justice

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"I see…so you're done with playing up the facade huh?"

"You could say that. To be honest, I'm somewhat surprised. I thought that our front towards you was believable. But you **are** the Ace Detective after all; something of this nature wouldn't go so cleanly past you. Callously maybe but certainly not cleanly." Akira answered with a grim yet sly smile.

Akechi and Akira stood in the latter's residence, the attic of Leblanc. Both individuals knew that a confrontation of this sort was inevitable, yet they would never admit that.

"Hmm. Now it's clear why you sent Morgana to Makoto's for the night." Akechi realized as Akira took a seat on his bed.

"You're as sharp as ever Ace Detective. It truly saddens me that we're enemies." Akira retorted despondently.

After Akira gestured towards the couch, Akechi took a seat there and they both discarded the veiled sense of animosity they had. Funnily enough, the animosity they had towards each other was not something an uninvolved party would find ire in.

"I assume that you're not going to inquire about the 'how' or 'why' of my inevitable betrayal are you?" Akechi questioned.

"…Even I know it's too late for that Akechi."

"Then enlighten me." Akechi smirked in a genuine manner. A manner that was unfamiliar for Akira. "What is the purpose of this? We're enemies are we not? You and I have known since the day we 'teamed up', that any possibility of authentic confessions was thrown off the table."

"…" Akira stayed silent.

"The Phantom Thieves and the government. Two supposedly opposite forces fighting for their own warped sense of 'justice'. Surely you must realize Akira, the sheer foolishness of everyone's actions? If you intend for us to have a heart to heart here, then I'm saddened to inform you that that is just not possible."

"Let's not get too philosophical or hypocritical here Akechi." Akira said coldly. "Deep down, all of us Phantom Thieves know that what we're pursuing is just our own sense of justice. And deep down, the government knows that what they're pursuing is just their own sense of justice. Isn't that all that needs to be said on that matter?"

"Hmph, I suppose you are right. You don't seem to be the type to dwell on hypotheticals or emotional standstills."Akechi relented as Akira slightly relaxed his posture.

"Tell me the 'when' Akechi."

"…?"

"When you decided to betray us." Akira clarified.

"I see. You're quite smart Akira. Aiming to expose concrete facts rather than psychological insinuations. You truly are fit to be the leader of the Phantom Thieves."

"…"

"My plan enacted the second I confronted you all during the school festival. Truth be told, the plan was long in the making but the actual execution of it on my part only began then." Akechi stated.

"I see. That's honestly all I wanted to know concerning the 'when'. So there was never a point in time where you regretted your orders huh?" Akira asked mournfully.

"Indeed. I never once thought of any of you as my friends. It was all an act to gain your trust. But I see that it fell flat."

"You honestly had me fooled. You truly seemed genuine sometimes."

"Playing the part is easy but playing the emotions is impossible."

"…?"

"Forget I said anything."

"So in Sae's palace tomorrow, something 'wrong' will happen." Akira brought up with an almost jokey smirk.

"Indeed. Though if I may ask, why do you seem so humored by this upcoming event?"

"Humored? No, I'm just excited is all. A theft is this stature seems to be my calling as a Phantom Thief." Akira said unwaveringly, a genuine smirk plastered on his usually stoic face.

"…Ha…hahahahahahah!" Akechi drowned in laughter. "You…you truly are an interesting one Akira Kurusu."

"What can I say? I'm born to please."

"It's no wonder the rest of your friends were drawn to you. You have a certain quality about you that's unique when compared to the sheep of society. Not only do you not forsake your beliefs for the sake of false relationships but you still somehow manage to make friends. Friends that would go to the ends of the earth for you."

"Akechi…"

"No!" Akechi interrupted. "It's too late for me. I know how foul I am and I know that what is coming up will either make or break me. If…if circumstances were different than maybe…just maybe I would've been truer to myself."

"It's never too late Akechi." Akira started. "Look at me! Look at Makoto, Yusuke, Ann, Ryuji, Haru and Futaba! Just like you, we were all cut from the same rough cloth albeit from different circumstances. We're all outcasts who faced hardship and despair but in the end we managed to overcome our initial weaknesses. Makoto is no longer running on the rails set out for her. She's set her own path with her own ideals. No longer is she a robot who follows society's judgment. Yusuke has opened his eyes. He no longer rejects the negativity that the world sends his way, he embraces it. Amazingly enough, he cradles that negativity into a passion that fuels his creativity. Ann has broken apart all of the constraints that held her back. She lives to please to herself, not the scumbags who find pleasure in tormenting her. And though the past is continually taunting her, the prospects of the future are too compelling to miss out on. Ryuji is well…he's Ryuji. While he's always been a rebel in the purest sense, recent events have caused him to not be afraid. No longer does he deem society's words as 'truth'. The path he walks on has always been set with traps but his courage to face the truth head on has disarmed most of those traps. Haru is still mourning the loss of her father yet she still finds strength to fight with us. We haven't known her long but the sheer determination she possesses has made her stand up for herself in instances where she would've previously back down. And Futaba is certainly one that was hit by life's trauma quite hard. Despite the tragedy that befell her mother and the shell she found solace in, she still fought to get out of it and face the world. She didn't have to, she could've kept running but the desire to fulfill her sense of justice drove her to move on. And as for me...I'm still figuring that out."

"…"

"You can change Akechi. You can still find the strength to overcome what's holding you back from yourself!"

"It's not that simple. The sins I've committed have tainted me forever. Once you've done what I done, there's no turning back. If you were in my position Akira, you'd understand."

Akechi walked towards the door that led to the entrance of Leblanc.

"I'm afraid that our time is up Akira. Best of luck to you tomorrow." Akechi said with an almost somber smile.

"…Best of luck to you tomorrow as well Akechi." Akira responded with a grim smile.

Though they knew that certain tragedy would soon befall one of them, they didn't mind. Neither of them would admit but their friendship was real.

No one else would know of this confrontation and deep down, that was fine with both of them.

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	8. Father

**So yes, I am back. It's been almost a year but I'm back to writing more actively on this site. I've missed this story and after having done some mental recovery for the past year, am ready to dive back in!**

 **This chapter is short and is just a small little refresher that I used to get used to writing Fanfiction again.**

 **Enjoy!**

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"So what's going on here?" Ryuji asked the other members of the Phantom Thieves minus Morgana who were all standing at the hideout.

"Indeed. You called us out here with no rhyme or reason and yet you still clam up. What is the issue Nijima-san?" Yusuke inquired.

"W-well, you see it's uh…." Makoto struggled to find the words in her currently defeated and wildly jumbled mental state.

"It's about Akira." Ann spat out, getting impatient from Makoto's stuttering. "She's too nervous to speak about it but it's something that needs to be said."

"Huh? But didn't Maki-chan call us out here?" Haru asked with her pointer finger to her chin.

"Sh-she did but, after she thought about the…'issue' more, she became like this." Ann answered hesitantly.

"Alright, so what exactly is this 'issue'?" Ryuji asked, getting slightly impatient himself.

"I..." Makoto suddenly spoke. "I think that…Akira-kun might be a…father." Makoto revealed, the last word of her sentence being almost inaudible.

"…" The rest of the team minus Ann had their jaws literally drop, their mouths agape.

"Uhhh…" Ryuji couldn't find the words to say what he wanted to say.

"Are you…serious about this accusation Nijima-san?" Yusuke asked, a startled expression crossing his normally stoic face.

"As much as I hate to say this…I kinda agree with her." Ann admitted, her hands falling to her sides.

"Bu that..! That doesn't make any sense!" Haru shouted out, the hustle and bustle of the surrounding area drowning her out from anyone outside their circle. "Akira-kun wouldn't…he's a responsible young man!"

"Well…I can't exactly deny that but…" Ann paused, her mind going into overdrive. "He keeps to himself a lot, it wouldn't surprise me if he had a bunch of secrets."

"But c'mon! A freaking kid?! That's a bit out there don't you think?!" Ryuji spouted out the obvious.

"We're getting too ahead of ourselves here." Yusuke sighed. "I assume you have proof to back up your claim Nijima-san?"

Makoto sighed and began to tell the party what the reasons behind her accusation were.

…..

….

….

"WHAT KIND OF BULLSHIT THEORY CRAFTING IS THIS?!" Ryuji screamed out.

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"You're going to hang out with that kid Shinya again Joker?" Morgana asked the busy body Phantom Thieves leader as another school day ended rather uneventfully.

"Yeah, I feel bad for him after all the stuff he's been going through lately and playing with him in the arcade does help me brush up on my gun skills." Akira answered as he boarded the surprisingly almost empty train cart.

Morgana went quiet as he always does when they enter the train. After all, seeing a high school talk and direct his voice into his schoolbag would be pretty…disturbing to say the least.

Little did they know however, that in the cart next to theirs, the rest of the team was following them.

"Hey Ryuji, he's in that cart right?" Ann asked quietly.

"Yeah." Ryuji gave a thumbs up.

The team was all dressed up in rather terrible disguises. They were all wearing shades and some caps which did nothing to hide any aspect of them that wasn't their head or eyes.

Akira got off a couple of stops later, and the team pursued him.

He entered the arcade that Shinya frequented.

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When Akira entered, he saw Shinya standing next to a familiar person. That person was his teacher/maid, Kawakami.

"Ah you reached here before me." Akira grinned.

"You're late." Kawakami chided.

"Sorry about that." Akira adjusted his glasses. "So, did you two start talking already?" Akira asked his teacher.

Shinya was silent; a stern expression crossed his features.

"We did. I'm glad you introduced me to him Akira-kun, he could certainly use some help in getting his grades back on track."

"You really didn't have to do this you know; I could've handled this on my own." Shinya whined, a small blush appearing on his face.

"Sorry I surprised you Shinya but…"Akira took a second to think of his next words. "When someone you care for is struggling, wouldn't you do anything to help them?"

At those sincere words, Kawakami smiled and Shinya's blush only darkened.

Akira and Kawakami laughed as the normally bold and unafraid Shinya started to act meek.

At first glance, to an outsider, these three could seem like a picture perfect family.

Kawakami's laughing suddenly stopped as he noticed some odd figures starting at them, their mouths agape from the arcade's entrance.

Curious, Akira followed her gaze, turned around and saw the rest of the Phantom Thieves there in their silly, absurd attire.

As utterly nonsensical and ridiculous as it would realistically be, the other Phantom Thieves truly believed that Akira was indeed a father.

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	9. Fun

"You know, I was thinking, isn't it super weird how Akira can use female Personas?" Ryuji asked randomly as the group was waiting for him in Leblanc.

"It… sorta is yeah, I guess." Futaba acknowledged, trying to better situate her odd sitting position.

"It kinda got me thinking…" Ryuji began. The rest of the group braced themselves, Ann and Makoto especially. Ryuji always did seem to have the weirdest thoughts.

"I wonder if…he's maybe done it with any of those female Personas." Ryuji finished.

"…." There was a collective silence.

"Sakomoto-kun….please try to be more aware of who you are talking to," Makoto sighed in exasperation.

"What?! Don't throw this off! It's a valid question!"

The rest of the team looked at him with obvious skepticism.

"Look, we know that he's somehow able to fuse Personas right? What if the way he does it is maybe…lewd?"

At this point, the rest of the team grew tired of his shenanigans but Yusuke decided to humor him.

"Where is all of this coming from, Sakomoto-kun? This seems far too out of left field, even for you."

"Just think about it; Personas are supposed to our inner selves or some shit, right? But Akira's obviously a guy, so wouldn't that mean that in order for him to get female Personas, he has to have sex with the older ones so that they give birth?"

"…."

Suddenly the sound of the door bell's chime alarmed the Phantom Thieves. Looking back, they saw that Akira had finally made his way to Leblanc, with Morgana in tow. After exchanging light greetings with Sojiro, he made his way over to the booths that his team occupied.

"Thank god you're here Akira," Ann sighed. "Can you please shut this idiot up?"

"…What's Ryuji talking about this time?" Akira questioned, his expression becoming more irritated by the second.

"How do you have female Personas Akira?" Ryuji asked immediately, his newfound curiosity getting the better of him.

"Uhh…" Akira was taken aback, unsure of how to answer.

"Do you maybe…have sex with older, more mature ones who then give bi-"

"WAIT, WHAT?!" Akira exclaimed, catching wind of what Ryuji was suggesting.

"Calm down, man."

"How do you expect me to calm down, Ryuji? Do you know how weird of a question that is?" Akira asked, clearly aggravated.

"Uh, is it that weird?"

"Think of it as you 'doing it' with YOUR Persona."

"Oh, hell no!"

"Well there you go, that's my answer."

"Wait no, no, no, you have female ones though!"

"That doesn't matter. They're still part of my subconscious. If I were to do 'it' with them, it would be the equivalent of me doing myself."

"…..Oh."

' _At least, that's the bullshit I'll have you believe anyway because I sure as hell don't know.'_ Akira thought as he finished his mini tirade.

"That **does** make me wonder though Kurusu-kun…" Makoto began, thinking inquisitively with her eyes closed.

' _Oh no… Makoto always makes these conversations more complicated.'_

"How exactly do you have multiple Personas? None of us have really asked you."

Akira was put on the spot. How the hell would he explain this?

"Uhhh….You see…" Akira struggled to think of what to say.

"Honestly, you are being quite rude Mako-chan." Haru, who was silent for the entire duration of this conversation, suddenly spoke up. "Can't you see how uncomfortable you're making our Leader?"

…The other members looked at Akira and took notice of his flushed cheeks.

"O-oh! M-my apologies Kurusu-kun, I had no idea! Feel free to ignore me!" Makoto fervently apologized.

"It's fine." Akira smiled reassuringly. "I honestly don't really know how either. It just…sorta came to me I guess."

"…I guess that's as good of an answer we're going to get out of you." Makoto spoke after a brief silence, her attitude immediately shifting from apologetic to stern.

' _Oh boy, I should be a bit careful around her for a while. She's realized I've been hiding some info.'_

With that, a brief conversation went down regarding how the Thieves would handle their current requests. Afterwards, everyone departed home.

"I've been pretty curious about your whole multiple persona skill myself." Morgana spoke up.

"Oh yeah, what was up with you anyway? You were pretty quiet downstairs." Akira inquired, opting for a change in topic.

"Eh, nothing. Just a bit tired is all."

The mood suddenly became awkward. With Akira not in the mood to do anything substantial tonight, he decided to go to sleep.

When he finally entered his dreamlike state, he found himself in the Velvet Room. Things were…different though to say the least.

Akira was out of his cell, not cuffed, and Justine and Caroline were nowhere to be seen. The only other being present in the room was Igor, sat at this usual spot.

"Igor…? What's going on?" Akira asked, clearly confused by the current state of affairs.

"Ah, there you are, Trickster." Igor greeted. "There is an urgent matter I must discuss with you."

Akira's eyes rose in alarm.

"It has to do with…your female Personas," Igor continued, not giving Akira a chance to retort. "It has come to my attention that these female personas you wield are interfering with your conscious thought."

"What do you mean?"

"Think of it like this. Your male Personas occupy one half of your subconscious while your female Personas occupy your other half. Due to your sudden influx of female Personas, your consciousness has been dominated by them. And because of the female Personas'…. rampant nature, they've been affecting your perceptions."

"They have…?" Akira wondered aloud. He hasn't noticed any changes in his mentality lately.

"They have, Trickster. Haven't you noticed? Your lingering gazes on your female companions' bosoms, your quickening heart when one of them approaches you, the lower half of your body har-"

"I GET YOUR PONT!" Akira yelled.

"I've seen you engaging in the vile act of masturbation, Trickster. It's been happening far more often lately as well. You're lucky that neither of your wardens have ever seen you committing such an atrocity."

"Wait, Igor! H-how often have you been watching me?! What's wrong with you?! What about my privacy?!"

You're a prisoner here Trickster. I am always watching over you." Igor's eyes glinted, causing Akira to inadvertently step back in fright. "I only allowed you out of this cell this visit to let you know how serious this is."

"I…I see." Akira's expression became downcast.

"You have to learn how to control yourself, Trickster. Your feline companion has been affected too."

"Wait what?!"

"Haven't you noticed? Your lingering gazes on your female companion coated in red. Your constant stares towards her bosom were noticed by your feline companion. He noticed this and has started retreating from you, bit by bit. What will you do, Trickster? Will you allow this rift to widen more between you two?"

"N-no! I can't! This is all a misunderstanding!" Akira implored.

Igor chuckled.

"Then you better sort out your Personas. Balance is a key in all things, in Personas especially."

"I see." Akira noted. "Thank you Igor, I never realized you could be so helpful."

"No need for pleasantries, Trickster. I solely want to aid in your rehabilitation to the best of my ability."

"Nevertheless, thanks. I'm glad you made me aware of this." With a smile, Akira retreated back to sleep, leaving Igor alone.

Leaning back in his chair, 'Igor' cackled manically.

"Humans are truly led astray by mere words rather disdainfully, aren't they? I wonder if the Trickster will realize that I was just…playing with him. Even I have to seek some sort of differing amusement within this game."

'Igor' relaxed, his form returning to normalcy.

"No matter; the true trial of humanity is coming soon. This is just a slight diversion from the main course which shouldn't be too far off…."


End file.
